Yemen Monitor/Newsroom:
The office of the Ministry of Public Health and Population in Taiz Governorate, southwestern Yemen, revealed the registration of 481 cases of rabies virus infection during the year 2025, in a statistic it described as “frightening” given the severity of the disease and its high fatality rate.
Taysir al-Samai, the media official at the health office in the governorate, explained that rabies poses a direct threat to the central nervous system and is transmitted through the bites of infected animals such as dogs, cats, and foxes. He noted that the disease is fatal in the majority of cases once symptoms appear, which include fever, pain at the site of the bite, difficulty swallowing and breathing, and an intense fear of water (hydrophobia).
Al-Samai stressed the importance of immediate prevention after exposure to any animal bite by washing the wound thoroughly with water and soap and heading immediately to receive the vaccine and a preventive dose of antibodies. He warned of the danger of neglecting the vaccination of pets and the risks of approaching stray animals.
The health office reported that the increasing number of stray dogs in the governorate’s streets and its surrounding rural areas significantly increases the risk of the disease spreading. It called on the relevant authorities to develop urgent solutions to limit the spread of stray animals and to provide the necessary vaccines in all health centers and hospitals to confront any emergency cases.
